Square Phones are Better than Rectangular: Blackberry

Blackberry recently launched their square phone, BlackBerry Passport. The phone defies all common logic and convention and BlackBerry has given the very basic design, the shape, of the phone a complete overhaul. Unlike other smartphones, which experiment with curves or shifting the position of buttons, BlackBerry has stretched their smartphone and the phone s now a square block, instead of the usual rectangular. It definitely makes the Passport unique looking but we're still unsure as to how comfortable it would be to hold.

Explaining their surprising decision, BlackBerry mentioned in their blog post that BlackBerry Passport the new device is a marriage of form and function. The phone, or the form of the phone, has not seen much change. It has remained rectangular over years and it was in a bid to innovate in this mundane segment that BlackBerry launched the Passport.

According to their blog post: "Many have thought that creativity around the design of smartphones was dead – rectangular device… screen… volume and input buttons. In fact, device companies have been emulating the same, entertainment-driven look for so long that there’s been a homogenization of the visual cues in smartphone design, to the point that some called 2013 “The Year the Smartphone Died.”

BlackBerry refers to their phone as the IMAX of phones (Goodbye, LG G Flex!) and says that a wider screen provides a better viewing experience. Comparing the gadgets to a book, they state that a book has 66 characters per line, making it a pleasure to read. However, the conventional smartphones offer only 40 characters per line, making the text longer and at times more mundane. Though not as advanced as a book, the BlackBerry Passport can fit up to 60 characters in a line.

"Consider how IMAX movies begin with the screens set to a more traditional 16:9 aspect ratio projection for conventional movie trailers, before expanding to their true dimensions (and the audience goes, “ooh”). The Passport is like the IMAX of productivity, and you don’t have to sacrifice screen real estate, vertically or horizontally.", they state.

While we do agree that the wider screen might make viewing media on your phone better, and even eliminate the need to shift to a landscape mode while reading or watching a video, it still doesn't answer the question of functionality. BlackBerry does promise that the phone will fit in your pocket, but we warn you to not try and sit with the thing in your pocket. You do not want the edges poking you or an ungainly stretch to the trouser pocket to accommodate the phone! Also, for people with small hands, we guess you can eliminate this phone. A broader phone means more clumsiness while holding it single-handedly and if it doesn't fit in your palm, there's no point!

BlackBerry might make tall claims about the device but it is only post September that the actual compatibility and comfort of the phone will be understood.